Home is Where the Heart Is

I must say, my coffee was particularly satisfying this morning. Having returned home late yesterday afternoon from a family funeral trip, I was thankful to wake up to a beautiful morning. Coffee and breakfast on the deck is a favorite around here as I’ve mentioned before but somehow you appreciate it more when you’ve been away. All things that spell out ‘home’ in my heart dance to the familiar bird songs, delight to the distant view of the hills beyond and the simple day to day tasks of life are considered in anticipation. I’m fairly certain that last part will not last long but I’m going to run with it while it’s here!

It’s interesting how your perspective on things once taken for granted changes and becomes more clear, maybe a bit more objective. Having spent my youth in the coastal area I never paid much attention to the trees. I liked some more than others but never spent time considering the majesty of the towering pines or the depth of character in the mighty oaks. I did appreciate the oak tree lined street I walked to school. It amazed me that the trees were so big they seemed to reach out across the street to one another. I do not take those trees for granted anymore. I felt quite nostalgic and somewhat homesick by the lush green grass, flowers, plants and trees. My beloved hill country has its own unique beauty that I truly love but I do so miss the green and the trees.

This trip back to the past and family was a mixed bag of emotion. There was, of course, the sadness of losing my uncle. There was happiness at seeing four aunts from two different sides of my family, a multitude of cousins and their kids and we can add their grandkids in the mix now, too. A poignant moment for me was during the memorial service when a baby got a little fussy, as babies tend to do. The baby in question was the first child of my uncle’s first child’s first child; his great granddaughter. If seeing the four generations come together to honor the family patriarch doesn’t stir your heart, not much will. The baby’s cry was reassuring to me because it echoed the promise of life continuing on beyond the sadness of loss; our future generations. The circle of life…..

Speaking of the circles and cycles of life, I must head out to the garden before the heat wipes away the freshness of morning. Three cousins I saw this trip and I share the love of gardening and we all know it is a legacy we inherited from our Grandpa. I took some Swiss Chard I harvested the morning I left on my trip to my aunt who graciously always allows me to kick my shoes off and make her house my home away from home. I’ve learned valuable life lessons from years of gardening and the cousins I was spending time with at the funeral were some of my fellow harvesters of the bounty from our grandpa’s garden years ago at the Huntsville farm. The aunts and grandkid (us) all gathered at harvest time when the heat drove our grandparents into town where my grandpa could have air conditioning because he suffered with emphysema. The only air conditioning at the farm came from the cracks in the walls in the outhouse! We had indoor plumbing (well, cold water anyway) but when all the cousins and aunts gathered for harvest the old outhouse became a workhorse of necessity once more. That and the #3 washtubs we used at bath time in the kitchen where water was heated on the stove. I imagine no one will forget the required ‘tick check’ by the aunts before your bath. Ah, life at the farm and the memories it birthed!

There is nothing like a trip down memory lane when you love so many of the memories. AND, there is nothing like waking up in your own bed when get back home! I am blessed to have wonderful childhood memories. I am blessed to come home to a husband I cherish and the warm fuzzy feeling of seeing his face light up when he first saw me yesterday. I am thankful to God to be home at the hacienda with my Honey and hounds…life is good!